Oscar Albuquerque

Although the Sting's preseason training camp opens Wednesday afternoon, the real fun started Monday. That's when around 30 free agents hoped to impress coach Erich Geyer, General Manager Kenny Stern and assistant coach Gary Hindley enough to stick around when the big boys report. "I`m excited about what will be happening the next three days," said Geyer. "We`re going in the right direction with invitations to these tryouts, rather than letting everyone who wants to to just come in,...

Unbelievable. It's a word Power player-coach Karl-Heinz Granitza uses often, sometimes as a criticism punctuated by a look of disgust and a dismissing wave of his hand. Other times, "unbelievable" is a compliment for a heroic effort. But if anyone or anything has deserved the latter "unbelievable" in the Power's inaugural season, it has been Granitza himself and the example he has set for his team. At 37, long past what could be considered the prime years for a soccer player, he...

The future of the Major Indoor Soccer League and the Sting is up the air, but the Sting isn`t standing pat. Wednesday, the team released 11 players, including many familiar names. Those released were Oscar Albuquerque, Batata, Gary Collier, Greg Ion, Paul Trumpe, Frank Klopas, Chico Moreira, Franz Mathieu, Dave McWilliams, Manny Rojas and Pato Margetic. All of the players are now free agents. Sting General Manager Kenny Stern said the team retained the right of first...

Chicago can once again claim a professional soccer team. The Power kicks off its American Indoor Soccer Association season on the road against the Ft. Wayne Flames at 6:35 p.m. Friday. The Power is an AISA expansion team, but head coach Karl-Heinz Granitza has some first-rate firepower on his club. Former Major Indoor Soccer League star forward Batata leads the attack, supported by veteran midfielders Manny Rojas and Oscar Albuquerque. Unfortunately, the Power will be without...

Day one of Sting free-agent tryout camp at Soccer Enterprises in Palatine offered more than sessions of seasons past. Organized drills, controlled scrimmages and skill testing was the bill of fare for 41 players who paid their way to take a sporting chance-and get a chance to show their stuff. When the day was over, Sting coach Erich Geyer bid farewell to seven players. He`ll be back for more of the same Tuesday. "We have to cut from quantity to quality," said...

The future of the Major Indoor Soccer League and the Sting is up the air, but the Sting isn`t standing pat. Wednesday, the team released 11 players, including many familiar names. Those released were Oscar Albuquerque, Batata, Gary Collier, Greg Ion, Paul Trumpe, Frank Klopas, Chico Moreira, Franz Mathieu, Dave McWilliams, Manny Rojas and Pato Margetic. All of the players are now free agents. Sting General Manager Kenny Stern said the team retained the right of first...

Chicago can once again claim a professional soccer team. The Power kicks off its American Indoor Soccer Association season on the road against the Ft. Wayne Flames at 6:35 p.m. Friday. The Power is an AISA expansion team, but head coach Karl-Heinz Granitza has some first-rate firepower on his club. Former Major Indoor Soccer League star forward Batata leads the attack, supported by veteran midfielders Manny Rojas and Oscar Albuquerque. Unfortunately, the Power will be without...

How did the Sting, a team with what seemed like unlimited potential in October, manage to miss making the playoffs for a third straight year, the worst dry spell in the Major Indoor Soccer League? Let us count the ways. First and foremost was the quality of the team, which wound up with a 24-32 record, one game behind Baltimore (25-31) for the final Eastern Division playoff berth. "In the end, the team wasn`t good enough," said Sting General Manager Kenny Stern. "Injuries, bad...

For nearly 58 minutes Wednesday, the Sting offense couldn`t mount any kind of attack. But that offense came alive in the final two minutes, scoring two goals in 1 minute 14 seconds to give the Sting a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Force. Manny Rojas` shootout goal with :55 left in regulation led the Sting (20-22) to a come-from-behind victory over Major Indoor Soccer League Eastern Division rival Cleveland in front of 12,371 at Richfield Coliseum. The...

Chico Moreira is a player whose efforts are seldom recognized. Over four Major Indoor Soccer League seasons, the rugged Sting defender has played like an all-star, but has never received the accolade. Sunday afternoon at the Horizon, Moreira gained a measure of his due. Playing one of the best all-around games of his career, Moreira led the Sting to a 7-4 victory over the Tacoma Stars in front of 6,661 fans. More important for the Sting, the victory broke a three-game losing streak...

A week ago, Dave MacWilliams was a man without a team. Fortunately for the eight-year indoor soccer veteran, the Sting is a team without many healthy men. The marriage made earlier this week entered the honeymoon stage Friday at the Horizon. MacWilliams` first goal of the season led the Sting to a 3-1 victory over the defending Major Indoor Soccer League champion Dallas Sidekicks in front of 4,235, snapping a seven-game losing streak. Teddy Krafft and Oscar Albuquerque also scored for the...

When its eighth indoor season ends in three weeks, the Sting may look back painfully at Saturday night's 5-3 loss to Eastern Division rival Cleveland. Its inability to salvage the final match of a four-game trip could mean the difference between the Sting making the playoffs and getting an early vacation for the third straight year. The Force (26-23) won its fourth in a row and dealt Chicago (21-26) its fourth straight defeat before 16,116, largest crowd of the season in...

It's show time at the Horizon Friday night, with the Sting starring in its home opener. Sharing the marquee are the St. Louis Steamers, who hope to steal the show with an act that has surprised most early reviewers. Most, but not all. "I`m not surprised," said Sting coach Erich Geyer of St. Louis` 3-1 record. "They have a very strong midfield and good forwards. Some people question them, like people do us. Don`t count what people think. St. Louis is off to a good start." ...

The Sting was short-circuited by another power failure Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lazers. Although it overcame a three-goal deficit, the Sting failed to capitalize on three man-advantage situations and dropped a 6-5 decision to the Lazers at the Forum. The Sting (21-25) hasn`t scored a power-play goal since March 11, going 0 for 10 on such chances in its last seven games. The winning goal came with 26 seconds left, when Sting defender Heinz Wirtz tried to tap the ball back to...

The Sting was short-circuited by another power failure Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lazers. Although it overcame a three-goal deficit, the Sting failed to capitalize on three man-advantage situations and dropped a 6-5 decision to the Lazers at the Forum. The Sting (21-25) hasn`t scored a power-play goal since March 11, going 0 for 10 on such chances in its last seven games. The winning goal came with 26 seconds left, when Sting defender Heinz Wirtz tried to tap the ball back to...

For nearly 58 minutes Wednesday, the Sting offense couldn`t mount any kind of attack. But that offense came alive in the final two minutes, scoring two goals in 1 minute 14 seconds to give the Sting a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Force. Manny Rojas` shootout goal with :55 left in regulation led the Sting (20-22) to a come-from-behind victory over Major Indoor Soccer League Eastern Division rival Cleveland in front of 12,371 at Richfield Coliseum. The...

Less than a week ago, Frantz Mathieu didn`t even want to play. Sunday night, the veteran Sting defender not only played, but he wanted to celebrate. Celebrate Mathieu did, as teammates mobbed him after he scored the fifth goal in a 6-4 Sting victory over the Wichita Wings. It was one of Mathieu's most important goals, right up there with the game-winner in 1981 that sent nearly 40,000 fans at Comiskey Park home cheering and the Sting to the Soccer Bowl championship it would win five days...

Call it a battle of the blands, or "in-bore" soccer. But, based on the Sting's effort Friday night in a 4-2 loss to the Wichita Wings at the Horizon, please don`t call it a contest. Contests are something you try to win. "It's time to stop all this," said forward Pato Margetic, who saw his team take its second straight loss. "Everybody has to be a little more ready to fight. Everybody has to change something. I don`t know if it's our style of play, but we have to...

The Sting needed to break a game open. You know, win a real laugher. It happened Saturday night, and in the most unlikely arena. In one of its most potent offensive displays of the season, the Sting pounded the Wichita Wings 7-3 before 9,407 in Kansas Coliseum. "This is a reverse of what's been happening to us," said coach Gary Hindley after his first road victory. "This makes up for the overtime loss to Los Angeles Tuesday at our place. Things just fell into place. Wichita...